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Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Convergence: The Adventures of Superman #2 Review

It's a Mad House!

Marv Wolfman made me look like a fool last month after I read and reviewed The Adventures of Superman. You see, up until this book, I'd been going on and on (really, I wouldn't shut up) about rules and continuity and how I needed those things to enjoy this Events stories. Then along came Marv with his tinkering Lucius Fox, less mature Supergirl and physical Phantom Zone. Those don't really fit the rules or continuity to a tee, but guess what? I didn't care. Maybe it was all the "Story over Continuity" hype that Dan Didio has been peddling, but I think that it was mostly that it was a roller coaster ride of fun. Seriously, Supergirl was wearing a headband! She looked so much better than THIS guy. That is Eric, by the way, and this is my review for Convergence: The Adventures of Superman #2.

The issue starts with Superman and Supergirl in the Phantom Zone fighting it out with the evil pack of Kryptonian villains. It may go against the rules, but I really enjoy a good fight and while Superman is getting the tar kicked out of him, Kara is pulled out of the Phantom Zone by Lucius. She can only sit and watch Superman receive a beat down. That's okay, however, because it doesn't go much further than that.

Meanwhile, the forces of the Great Disaster are gathering under General Symian. He may be a damn dirty ape, but he's got competition...Kamandi! Yes, the last boy on Earth is here and I had a huge smile on my face because of it.

Back in the lab, Supergirl thinks fast and yanks Superman out of the Phantom Zone, Batman Style. I was hoping for a better ending to the Phantom Zone part of the story, but unfortunately, there isn't an endless amount of time in these Convergence tie-in finales. That being said, we get more Kamandi than I thought we would.

I don't know if it was just me, but having The Last Boy on Earth involved made this issue feel more like an old Superfriends cartoon than any book I've read in a long time. Please, don't get me wrong, I mean that as a compliment because I really liked that aspect of this issue. Superman and Kamandi's interaction may have been brief, but it was so damn adorable.

The rest of the issue boiled down to Superman and Supergirl fighting the ape army of General Symian with an added factor. If you read last issue, you know that Kara saw her (unfortunate) future while in the Phantom Zone. Because of that, she seems to have a bit of a death wish, but mostly, she will do anything to protect Superman. The way she stressed it over and over, I was sure she would not last until the end of this issue. However, after a crazy plan, the usual Convergence earthquake and a whole bunch of structural damage, her and Superman live to show up in...Convergence #6?!?!? Yes, in a really bad bit of planning, this book continues in an issue from two weeks ago.

I loved a bunch of things in this issue, but overall, it did not equal the sum of it's parts. Kamandi was a great addition and I would read a book with just him and Superman flying around, going on adventures. I loved the continuation of Supergirl knowing her ultimate fate and I always enjoy a battle any time that apes are involved. However, after such a great first issue, this one felt a little too rushed and even forced at times. I still enjoyed it, just not as much as I wanted too.

Roberto Viacava's art was good, but the backgrounds were a bit too sparse for my liking. I did like his Kamandi and appreciate the best looking earthquake I've seen in this Event so far.

Bits and Pieces:
While all the pieces seemed to be in place for another great issue, something didn't quite jive. I'll chalk it up to yet another tie-in that felt rushed and forced to get to the Convergence finish line. I still enjoyed the issue, but after loving the first one, this was a bit of a disappointment.

1 comment:

I enjoyed this issue, but I'll admit it wasn't as strong as the first. Did you get the impression in this and the other titles this week that (perhaps due to the eight-page publicity thing for DCYou) they were set up in two acts--the second one a little more forced and rushed? I felt like a few comics did that this week, probably owing partially to the fact that the writers had to shoehorn an earthquake into every issue. Anyway, I thought this was a good comic, the art was sort of a cross between Chris Sprouse and Cameron Stewart (and that's a good thing) and I did dig seeing the Supercousins palling around with Kamandi. I wouldn't rush to the store for this, but if you'd read issue #1 I certainly wouldn't tell you to steer clear of #2.

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